He paused, twisted a bunch of herbs between his fingers, and completely ignored my rot. "It's ovarian growth time, Willah."
Motherhood aside, that's a fair assessment.
Jon stood up and wrapped his arms around me. I breathe deeply and inhale its warm woody scent. "We'll get through this," he said, and I held on not only to his body, but to his words and the comfort they brought. When I didn't let go of my hand, it slid down my head and down my back in a slow, gentle stroke. "Hey, we'll figure this out, okay?"
I nodded at his chest, but don't let go. I am content to bury myself in his chest and scent. But that doesn't stop me from feeling her when she lifts her head to look at Marih.
I can imagine the look she gave him. You have to-be-very-hard.
And the answer is yes. She did it. I needed to hear.
After a few hits, it bores me hugely. "I think I know something that will take your mind off it."
I couldn't think of a single big enough distraction from the killer wolf waiting for me.
"Ray's going to kill me, but we're working on a surprise for you."
"A surprise?" I love surprises! I love them so much that I don't understand anyone who doesn't. Like Mari. Definitely broken.
I pulled back and looked into Jon's gorgeous velvety eyes for a clue as to what might have happened.
Jon nodded with a wide, toothy smile just for me. "Don't tell Ray..."
"Don't tell Ray what happened?" ' Ray asks as he leaves the bathroom, steaming behind him.
Jon deflects the question deftly. "Oh, you didn't use all of the hot water, did you?"
Ray shrugs, his towel slipping deliciously under his hip as he dries his hair. "Don't tell me what happened?"
"Oh, it's just…" He started, but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.
I get hard in his arms.
I know who you are. I just know.
"He," I whisper, putting my hands on his shirt as my hands begin to tremble.
Without words, everyone moves. Jon and Ray build a wolf muscle wall between Marih, me and the front door as Marih crosses over to my side of the island and puts herself in front of me.
"Who is it?" Ray sings in the biggest, loudest alpha voice.
"My name is Jax. Visiting from my pack in Laurel Cove. I was told I could make an official entry to Pack Alpha here."
*
As the stranger's voice confirms that Danica wasn't coming to drag me to her mountain, my body immediately relaxes and the tension in the cabin drops.
But we all breathe a sigh of relief as Ray opens the door to a bald black man with lethal winged eyeliner.
Obviously not a Kootenay wolf.
She fully meets Ray's gaze and extends her hand to him. Ray grasps the visiting wolf's forearm and squeezes it as the visitor does in a traditional greeting.
"Sorry if I caught you at a bad time," the visiting wolf says as he grabs Ray's towel and wet hair.
"I've always been happy to meet an East Coast wolf."
Ray's tone is friendly, but his body language is still off. Almost in attacking position.
And he doesn't immediately invite the wolf in.
"What did you say your name was?" Ray asks and lets a hint of doubt seep into his voice.
"Jax Carr."
Ray nodded but didn't let the wolf in. Not yet.
"And do you have any contact with the herds of the Kootenay mountain range just east of here?"
He answers without hesitation. "I do not."
But Ray is not satisfied. "Swear on the Great Wolf, you have no affiliation with them, and you are not here at their request."
The strange wolf answers instantly. "I swear on the High Wolf that I am here for my own reasons and have no affiliation with the Kootenay packs."
If he thinks any of this is weird, he doesn't point it out.
Ray nodded and finally let him in.
Too many layers on it compared to the end of the season. A thick jacket and cotton gloves plus earplugs, even though it's almost May and the weather is pretty comfortable for us.
Which means he's definitely not native, which reduces the chance of recognizing any of the Danica or Kootenay herds.
Ray introduces us as we all stand in front of the shed rather awkwardly.
"I'm sorry about the third degree. We had some security issues."
Jax nodded, his eyes neutral and attentive.
Ray extended his hand again, this time for a standard human handshake. I'm Ray Navarro, Alpha Pack for Stocklin Pack. This is Willah Stocklin. Dude and Pack Omega."
My heart is beating ridiculously.
Pack the Omega…
Despite his uncompromising stance, I stood beside Ray, elbowing Marih. "Nice to meet you, Jax," I say, shaking his hand and smelling a clear scent of strong alpha pheromones. It's smoky and sweet, with a hint of fresh green leaves and unlike any wolf I've ever smelled.
"You too," he says with a smile.
"This is my second friend, Jon," I said, waiting for him to react to the unusual information. But it doesn't. Maybe multiple wives are more common than I thought.
He and Jonah shake hands and have a good timeThey are crying and I introduce Marih.
However, he is not very eager to accept this stranger.
"Which herd did you say you were from?" researching she.
"Daphne Bay."
He's pulling his nose. "I've never heard of them."
The visitor looks down on him, calm and undisturbed.
"Who are the alphas?" she asks.
"I."
Mmm. What are you doing here?"
Marih! Be polite." I glaring at her and turn to the visitor. "I'm sorry about my sister. A little too eager to protect me. Please come in and have a seat," I said and went into the living room. Everyone follows me along the few steps leading from the front door to the living area and waits while I arrange the island stools facing the sofa. We sat comfortably even though it wasn't close in the way.
Ray, Jon and I sit on the sofa while Marih and Jax sit on the stools. "Well, what brings you here?" ' I asked, trying to ignore the bubbling excitement in my stomach.
I always wanted this. Being with Ray as his friend - as Pack Omega - while we handle the package business together - in this case means being welcoming and charming to our guest. I have a memory outside of myself. Away from all the worry and idle chatter in my head to truly appreciate that I did what I thought I could never do.
I silently pray to the Big Wolf and refocus my attention on our guest.
My question fell on Jax's face like a veil of darkness, but it only lasted a moment. "The Herd was linked to a corrupt king who held us in captivity... for a very long time. Recently, all the herds in my realm got rid of him and are fully capable of traveling outside of his jurisdiction. It's been a long time since any of us have stepped out of our herd lands, and even after all this time, the Pack I want to make sure we're in good standing with the American herds.
"I didn't know there were packages at Laurel Cove." Ray says and the shadow turns to Jax's face.
"He was a cruel king. He kept packages in two cities at his disposal for centuries."
Marih and I looked at each other.
"Centuries?" Jon asks the question on everyone's mind.
Wolves live longer than humans, but no wolf lives for centuries.
Jax shook his head. "A vampire king has decided he needs guard dogs to protect his territory."
So he wasn't a wolf controlling his pack. Vampire.
Interesting.
"So you've finally been able to kill the vampire king?" Yunus asks.
Jax let a small smile pass through his arrogance. "No, we didn't need to kill Titus. He voluntarily changed his ways. I think his new wife and his best friend had something to do with it, but he gave up all ownership of the remaining packages.
Oh my God. I cannot imagine letting the person responsible for the subjugation of my people continue to breathe.
"You're a better person than I am," Marih says, approving my feelings.
Ray wraps his arm around me. "So you're here for a goodwill tour? Is that true?"
"Basically."
I can tell you that Jax hasn't told us everything, but I don't sense any deception or malice about him, so for now I believe everything he doesn't tell us is none of our business.
*
A gay werewolf walks into a bar.
Marih asked permission hours ago and went back to her hut.
But I'm still stuck here, listening to three alphas - er... two alphas and a sigma - talking all the time about running their packages.
At first I was completely in the game, even excited. But there's a lot I can handle in baseball.
"It's a lot like running a business when it comes to it." says Ray. "But most importantly, you have to take good care of your people. Make sure everyone in the herd knows that they are valuable and important."
He shook his head.
"True. I totally agree," says Jax, and my eyes are literally shining. Yes. I became living pottery. "But you're telling me that the logging business is so profitable that you're completely out of business?"
"Mostly. We get our electricity from BC Hydro, but other than that we are self-sufficient."